Those arguing for mowing first claim that this is the best order since you can then trim edges of lawn to the precise height that you cut the grass at. Trimming after mowing also ensures that you don't miss any spots that are unreachable with the mower.
The second train of thought is that mowing should be done last, after trimming and blowing. This method ensures that all the clippings/dirt that is tossed onto roads/sidewalks are picked up in the grass catcher of the mower and not laid out on the lawn.
To my opinion, it all really comes down to a few things:
1) Where you live in the country
2) If you are bagging/mulching and the type of grass
3) Your time commitment to lawn
If you live in Southern States where it is hot and your grass type is different mowing first may be a more time-effective approach. However, in the Eastern Northwest, if you trim and edge there will be a lot of thick grass clippings and dirt along the driveway. I would rather have that junk in my trailer, being hauled off, than on the top of the freshly cut grass. We blow off sidewalks twice (after trimming/edging and after mowing) to ensure that any clippings dropped from the mower when it is being placed back into trailer are all cleaned up.
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